French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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